Composition Basics

A shot in focus is crisp and clear, with good definition of the object in the image. Digital cameras have automatic focus and manual focus settings. Automatic focus allows you to get quick action photographs. Manual focus allows you to determine what you want in focus: background, foreground, usually a person's eyes.

Digital cameras also allow you to fill the frame with the foreground (a bush for example), press the shutter half way (locking the focus), then frame the shot with the background (playground for example) and take the shot. You can make the bush in focus and the playground out of focus in the shot. Note that the reverse is also possible. Try filling the frame with the playground and pressing the shutter release half way, composing the shot to include the bush, and taking the picture. This would allow the background in focus and the bush out of focus in the shot. Keep the focus, stay the same distance from the subject as when you "locked" the focus on the camera.

Camera perspective: Photographs are two-dimensional in most cases. In order to make images more real and alive we try to give the illusion of depth or perspective. Avoid photographing people up against a wall, pull them away from the wall, have them stand with a room or a field behind. Try to light the subject or have them be the brightest object in the scene. If you're shooting a building, shoot it at an angle (from the corner) and have some branches be in the shot - close, yet out of focus.

The foreground is the part of the photo that is closest to the camera - the branches in front of a park scene for example. The background is the part of the photo that is farthest from the camera - the mountains behind a park scene in another example. Note, either can be in focus and thus the point or reason for the shot. Try to avoid shadows across faces by putting light and reflected light on the front of the subject matter.

The depth of field is the portion of the photograph that is in clear sharp focus in the image. How do you judge how much of the picture is sharp? In order to get lots of the photo in focus have lots of light and have the subject farther away. Alternatively, you may want to have a shallow depth of field (only the subjects eyes in focus, for example) then you would decrease the light and move the subject closer.

The image contrast: a lot of variety adds to your photograph's success. Note, the subject should be the lightest area of the screen because our eyes are drawn to light images. Also, the background behind them should be darker than the foreground. By placing the sun behind you will assist you in getting good lighting effects. 

The exposure is the amount of light entering the camera's lens.  An image looks its best with proper light and exposed correctly. Most cameras have automatic exposure settings. Try manually controlling the lights and exposure to get the best images. Fill the screen with the main object, frame carefully to get a tight shot of your subject matter.